This was a static MINI get together with some traders and other MINIs to admire and an opportunity to pick up tips and get ideas for future mods that we might fancy. We stayed over at my Mum’s in Buckley the night before and with an early start, we planned to be at the meet before 9.00am. We knew there were a number of other groups travelling to the show but we had made no definite plans to meet up with any of them to convoy to the show, we just hoped that we would find them on the way. Continue reading →

 We had a fancy to mod our new coupé a little and thought we would add some red brakes ducts to his features, instead of the black ones he was born with.

A simple job, just remove the bumper and change the ducts. We have changed bumpers before on CooperBeast, a bit time consuming yes, but not impossible.  So yes let’s have a go! Continue reading →

 This year we went to The Brooklands MINI Day with The Surrey NEW MINI Club and despite the perishingly cold weather we had a great day.  We met in a nearby Tesco car park so that we could all convoy onto the stand together and this worked very well and gave us a chance to meet some old friends and make one or two new ones. As always it was inspiring seeing other people’s MINIs and we came away with a few ideas on what to do with SilverBeast. Great fun and all part of the joy of the MINI scene. Continue reading →

 The Midlands Breakfast Club has in the past been a very popular event with us but it has been missing from the car event calendar for some time due to other commitments that the organiser had. At last though it has returned and we looked forward to a freezing cold morning on a windy RAF Cosford base. Continue reading →

Bacon Sarnie MINI Meet, The Mill Pond Castlemorton 3rd March 2013

It has taken a while for the car events to get going for us in 2013 but finally we have the first one under our belt, a Sunday morning meet for a bacon sandwich by the side of the Mill Pond at Golden valley, Castlemorton. Continue reading →

 With a 1000 miles under his belt, SilverBeast has earned his laurels, which he now shares with his brothers ClubBeast and CooperBeast. Another 1000 miles and he will earn the coveted roof coloured A panels already sported by CooperBeast and ClubBeast.

The Cooper Laurels and the coloured A- panel, then are badges of honour, proof of a journey undertaken – the rite of passage from boy to adolescent to man.  A true rite of passage has three distinct features; separation, transition and re-incorporation.

SilverBeast has spent his first 1000 miles of life separated from his brothers CooperBeast and ClubBeast by uniform. He has been naked and unadorned. At 500 miles he got his union jack flag badges and after 1000 miles  he began to wear his laurels. Now, with an engine run in he is an adolescent. He is in transition, learning how to wield his strength and after 2000 miles the transition will be complete and he will be reincorporated into the fold as an equal and proudly wearing his coloured A-panels to prove his status.